Not All is Lost
by moonster55
Summary: Hadrian Potter, previously known as "Boy", is entering Hogwarts as a scared and abused eleven-year-old. When strange things start happening to him, for not the first time, Hadrian tries to get to the bottom of his past present and future. Abused!harry Smart!harry slightlymorepowerful!harry Manipulative!dumbles. Response to Severitus challenge. M in some places so be careful.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1) Gleam Eyes**

**It was Christmas, not that Boy celebrated the Holiday. He was in his cupboard like he always was after making breakfast for Aunt, Uncle, and Dudley, playing with paper figurines that he had folded himself. One was a small boy drawn in messy rags named Boy, like himself, and another was a little girl in a green dress called Mouse. They were his only toys. He created many adventures where grown-ups would come and save him and Mouse from the Dursley's. Boy knew that couldn't happen though. He knew for a fact that no one wanted him, why else would he be with Uncle, the place that Boy assumed all unwanted children went. **

**And if Boy was the only boy sent here, then that meant that he was the one thing that nobody wanted. **

**He knew he was different. He could do things no one else could, like make Mouse and Boy fly and climb up walls as if they were real people and not just paper. He had once washed the dishes without using the sink, and had then put them away without a stool. Boy knew that doing these things made him the bad freak he was, and was the reason he was not wanted.**

**Knowing that it was impossible for him to be loved didn't stop Boy from day dreaming.**

**Boy's play was interrupted by a bellow from Uncle to go to the family room. He didn't know why Uncle had let him into the living room. He had never, ****_never_****, let Boy into the room with the sparkling tree before. Presents were not for freaks, as his uncle had often taunted him around the holidays, not for ungrateful people like Boy. He walked carefully into the bright room, making sure to keep his eyes downcast and his face blank. Boy navigated to the corner hoping to remain unnoticed for a while longer. Honestly he would rather be in his cupboard, Uncle never bothered him in there.**

**Boy had been living with Aunt and Uncle for as long as he could remember. They said he was left on the doorstep as baby, but he didn't exactly trust Uncle or Aunt's word. Boy remembered that when he was younger Uncle and Aunt were nicer; Boy had had better food and clothes then. No beatings either. But even if he felt sad, Boy knew that things could never return to the way things had been. The only comfort he had was the dark in his cupboard. **

**He had been thrown in the cupboard when he was three, and it had become his only safe place. He had a few threadbare blankets and pillows on the floor that served as a nest, and even things that he was able to play with when he was locked in there for days on end. They were all things that Dudley had thrown away or found in the library dumpster at school. he had rescued a good amount of things nobody would miss, including a couple broken crayons and many books. Boy had books on animals, plants, math, history, and even chemistry. Boy loved these escapes into other worlds, as they took him away from his broken bones and infected lacerations and placed him in a world that he could he could be safe. At least until the next beating or list of chores.**

**Boy had learned to read from a combination of the few days of school he attended and, surprisingly, from Aunt. She had taught him grudgingly so that he would be able to help her with various chores and paperwork around the house, one of his first jobs was sorting the mail and receipts. In Aunt's eyes it was important that she could leave a list of chores he had to do on the kitchen table, leaving her to gossip with neighbors instead of having to tell Boy the list herself. By reading the many different words in and around various places in the house he learned most of the words needed to enjoy simple books. After that, Boy was reading everything he could get his hands on, developing a large vocabulary for a child of six. The pocket English dictionary he had found in the back of the cupboard hadn't hurt his efforts. **

**Boy sighed. He had counted on having this day mostly to himself in the cupboard, aside from cooking the last of the Christmas dinner. He had a novel that he wanted to finish before Dudley found it. Obviously, that was not going to happen today. Now he had to focus on minimising the potential damage. All he wanted was no broken ribs, almost anything else he could handle. Ribs caused problems and made it a struggle for to complete his chores, while failure only rewarded him with another beating. Boy was ripped out of his musings by Uncle's voice, addressing him.**

**"****Boy," Uncle said sweetly. Boy stiffened, " I have a gift for you." Uncle handed a grubby paper bag out to him. "Well Boy, what are you waiting for?" Uncle intoned, glee all too present in his small beady eyes.**

**Boy knew something was not right. Nothing good ever came from from Uncle, he had learned his lessons too well to fall for this new trick. Uncle hated him; after all he took up space in the cupboard that could be used for hiding Dudley's presents and keeping cleaning supplies, and stole food out of Duddykins' mouth. But it was useless, either he took the bag and was beaten for taking it, or he was beaten because he didn't and 'was a stupid ungrateful freak that couldn't appreciate his benevolent caretakers'.**

**He took the bag and carefully looked inside, and brought out a short ring of black leather held together by a silver buckle and sporting a black box on the side containing two metal rods. It was a collar, a shock collar. A dog collar.**

**"****Put it on Boy, lets see how it looks." Boy obeyed and nestled the collar around his neck as gently as possible. "Dudley," Uncle narrowed his eyes, "looks like the boy has a little difficulty putting it on, help him wont'cha son?" Boy stiffened.**

**Boy held perfectly still as the lumbering form of his cousin came up behind him and grabbed the collar. "You're Right Da! Its entirely too loose, isn't it?" Dudley said, acting like he was expecting the best present in the world as he grasped the collar wrenching it painfully tight around Boy's neck, the metal bits poking into his windpipe. **

**"****Anyone like a demonstration?" Uncle asked snidely, "I know I certainly would." the men grinned feraly while Aunt excused herself and went upstairs. Boy glanced up at her retreating for hopefully, but Aunt didn't look back. The upstairs door shut. **

**Boy's world shrunk with despair. Aunt did not seem like she would break up this lynching. ****'****_no no no, Please no. I'll be good, Promise!' _****Boy whispered as tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. Uncle, laughing cruelly, slammed down the button on the little 'dangerous dog trainer' keychain fob.**

**Boy's world exploded into swirls of red, black, and blue. He screamed and screamed as Dudley began kicking him and thrashing him with the shiny new belt he had opened for his twenty third present ten minutes before. Uncle joined in adding his belt to the fray, all the while giving Dudley pointers on where to hit Boy to cause the most pain. Boy's hopes for a quiet Christmas were shattered, along with most of the bones in his chest.**

**[][][]**

****Five years later****

**Things had gotten worse since his sixth christmas, if one could call his Christmases actual Christmases. The beatings became even more frequent, while the times he was allowed to eat, drink, and use the restroom got fewer and farther between. Uncle had not allowed him to take off his collar since the incident and used a lock to secure Boy's obedience. Uncle loved that collar, Boy suspected, at times more than his own wife because it gave Uncle the power to make Boy's world hell whenever he wanted. His Uncle especially enjoyed making him black out in the middle of his chores so he could punish Boy for being unable to finish. And then punish him again for screaming. On and off school and chores were the only things in his life, kept constant with a daily beating. This would be changed briefly in the face of certain events of course. If he had an assembly or mandatory gathering at school, there would be no beating the night before. If there was a friend coming over to see Dudley, Uncle would let his son organize that day's thrashing. And, if Aunt Marge was visiting, Boy would be beaten thrice. Once for Uncle, once for Marge, and once for Dudley. Aunt retired early. Not to say that Aunt never hit him, she prefered a frying pan to the head or burning Boy's hands on the stovetop. But, Aunt had given him one gift, on his ninth birthday. Accidentally speaking his real name at a dinner party with Aunt Marge when discussing how terrible his parents were. Hadrian. He finally was a someone instead of a something, he was Hadrian.**

**He had known for a while now that his name couldn't be Boy, but had feared instead that he truly had not been named in the first place. The days he had gone to school were filled with strange looks and jibes before he got wise enough to pretend he was just playing a joke and make up a name. Teachers had questioned the sudden change in Hadrian's attitude, but the principal said that Hadrian was just being a troublemaker. The teachers had found it odd that he had not attended school regularly when his 'cousin' was hardly ever sick. Aunt calmly told the school that he had a disease that came and went like the wind, causing severe fever and vomiting. She went as far to say that his ever-present bruises were a symptom of his disease. After that some teachers had begun to suspect things at Uncle's were not as good as the family would have them believe. Aunt once again tried to assure them that Hadrian was simply a sick and troubled boy. Some teachers were still a bit suspicious, and kept asking questions about Hadrian's home life. They thought that by bringing it up they could make it better, but the only thing that came from the meetings with Aunt and Uncle was a harsh beating and a transfer to a school for delinquent children.**

**Hadrian's life had only gotten worse from there. The few days that he was 'well' enough to go to school he was disciplined by a teacher that gavin specific instructions from Uncle on how to treat Hadrian as his personal punching bag. The man was short and had a thick pair of wire glasses much too small for his pudgy face. He enjoyed the cane and ruler more than the belt, making an example out of Hadrian at every opportunity. It had taken Hadrian almost three weeks to accustom himself to the new kind of discipline. After, he tried to deny the man his screams. His schoolwork suffered from the multiple beatings, and soon he was failing worse than ever before. The counselors told Uncle that he had no future beyond menial jobs, and suggested Uncle not send him back for additional schooling. So about a year ago, at the end of his elementary school years, Uncle took him out of school, permanently. **

**After that he had done whatever chores that Aunt and Uncle could think up. **

**Today was his eleventh birthday, the day he was born from the product of a drunken rut between Aunt's sister and a man she had met a school. They were not married. The man had left. Aunt's sister was pregnant. Had a baby. She went driving. Drunk. Crashed. Died. Left Hadrian here. That was what Aunt told him. **

**Strange things tended to happen around him on his birthday. The year after he had gotten the collar, he had caused it to mysteriously teleport onto Aunt's neck. Last year he had caused all the windows in the house to break when his uncle had caused him to black out while he was cleaning them. Uncle had made sure Hadrian knew better after that incident. No showing freakism.**

******Today's list of chores were not that bad, and he had almost completed them, so Hadrian went out to the garden to get away from it all for a little while. He had always loved to look at the sky, wishing that he could just fly away from Aunt and Uncle like the characters in his storybooks.**

**AN) I hope that this chapter has been fixed, and I apologize for what happened (I still have no idea what caused it) if is still appears 'wonky' please tell me. Thank you**

**Moonshadow **

**moonster55 **


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: You all know that anything you know directly from Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling (unfortunately) but the plot is mine, with help from the Severitus challenge

Chapter 2) Different

When Hadrian woke up the sky was blue and orange. It was much later than when he had drifted off. Groggily he sat up and stretched, wincing as his collar tightened and his skin cracked. He cracked his knuckles and looked at the fence separating the many yards of Privet Drive. Strangely, there didn't seem to be anyone around. Usually Aunt would send him straight to the cupboard with a swing from the frying pan for staying outside where people could notice him. Brushing the grass of his face and arms, he turned cautiously towards the house. All windows were dark Amazingly, Uncle had yet to come barreling into the yard with the keychain, or another object to teach him _lesson_. In fact it was downright peaceful; which in and of itself was at least a little frightening. Hadrian could not remember the last time he had had a quiet moment, probably the last family trip Uncle and Aunt had taken Dudley on almost two years ago.

The outing had been a school trip to the local zoo. Aunt and Uncle had volunteered to be chaperones for Dudley's group, and were bound by contract to go. That trip had been interesting in two ways. He had been brought along in the first place, an unimaginable occurrence in and of itself, usually they would just lock him in his cupboard with a few crackers, a glass of water, and a bucket. This time however, Dudley's teacher had left Uncle no choice when he asked the day before the trip what had happened to the shy pupil that he had been teaching in the beginning of the year that had been suddenly transferred to a different school after he had raised concerns about the boy's relationship with his guardians. Unable to quickly find a suitable cover story for the suspecting teacher, Aunt and Uncle brought Hadrian along to get the teacher off their backs. So Hadrian found himself dowsed in powder to combat the sickly green and purple bruises received from his latest beating, without his collar and dressed in clothes Aunt had bought for Dudley three years ago. He had followed shortly behind the group of kids stopping to gaze at the animals in their enclosures. The careful balance came crashing down when Hadrian stopped in the reptile house and had a surprisingly interesting conversation with a large boa constrictor. Uncle had not taken kindly to this blatant display of freakism and had roughly shoved a small amount of money into Hadrian's hand, pointing him in the direction of the bus station. That was the first time Hadrian had ever used public transportation, but he had made it back in one piece. The bus ride had been very peaceful.

When he had finally made it back to Uncle's house, he had sat on the back porch and weeded the garden until his caretakers returned. That night he had been beaten harshly and shocked for so long that his fingers shook for three days afterword. He had not been outside the house, except for chores and the occasional school day, since.

It would probably be a good idea to head back in before they caught him.

_clack, clack, click…_

The back of Hadrian's neck prickled as he slowly turned around. Behind him on the fence was an owl, tawny and brown flecked, with a letter carefully tied to its foot. Hadrian started. What the hell was an owl doing at Uncle's house? Aunt was going to go crazy if she saw this bird in the backyard. He _Had_ to get rid of it, he had a beating just yesterday and he didn't need another one on top of the one he was most likely to get for sleeping in the backyard.

He tried shooing the bird away, but it only stuck out one leg in protest and clenched the post more tightly. _Darn_. He tried again, noticing again the letter clutched in a talon. Untying the letter the bird stopped fighting him and turned its' large golden eyes on him, waiting. The letter itself was… Different. It was made of thick creamy paper and it simply said: _To Hadrian Potter, Backyard of number four Privet Drive; Surrey_ in place of a postage stamp. The flap of the envelope was secured with a red wax seal displaying a badger, raven, lion, and a coiled snake on a shield. Breaking it open carefully, he revealed the thick yellowed paper of what surprisingly appeared to be a school acceptance letter. Hadrian wondered about that, he had never even gone to primary school on a regular basis, so how had he qualified for a private boarding school he had no clue. Opening the thick paper Hadrian read:

_Dear Mr. Potter and guardians,_

_I, The Deputy Headmistress Minerva Mcgonagall, am writing to tell you that your charge (one Harry Potter) has been accepted into Hogwarts; School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts is a boarding school, food and lodgings will be provided. Please send a reply by the no later than the thirty-first of July._

_We, the staff at Hogwarts, hope you will accept._

_You Will require:_

_1 set of robes, black, with a blank Hogwarts crest_

_1 winter cloak, silver fastenings_

_2 dress robes, any color_

_1 pointy black hat, for use in ceremonies_

_3 pairs of shoes, black, including a pair of regular trainers and dress shoes_

_10 rolls of parchment, at Least_

_1 container of 5 quills, at Least_

_3 jars of black Indian ink, at Least_

_1 set of first year books;_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

_1 pewter caldron_

_1 map of the night sky (Telescopes will be provided)_

_1 set of brass scales_

_1 wand_

_You may also bring a familiar; owl, cat or, toad_

_(you may request to bring a different animal, but this request must be made before the school year)_

_All supplies can be bought at Diagon alley, London. Look for the Leaky Cauldron. The first day of term is September the first, please arrive at the King's Cross platform nine and three-quarters by no later than twelve to board the school train. Tickets are included in the envelope. _

_Your future Deputy Headmistress,_

_Minerva Mcgonagall_

Hadrian paused. Witchcraft. Wizardry. This was a letter either written by a crazy lady, or it was an unbelievable opportunity. Hadrian hoped it was the later. If this invitation was real he could escape the Dursley's if he played his cards right. He would give anything to leave this prison and get away from Uncle. He had to accept. Hadrian got a pen from the backyard shed, going as quickly and neatly as he could, and scrawled an affirmative on a piece of lined paper. Giving it to the owl he said, "Take this to Hogwarts please," and it flew off.

Hadrian sat down on the porch step, thinking about how he was supposed to afford all of the things on the list. Hadrian could never dream of asking Uncle or Aunt, and he doubted he find a well paying job at his age, so he would have to steal it. That would be simple as he planned on leaving directly after, and if not, there was a fifty percent chance that they would think that Dudley had taken it. There was also the problem of getting to London, but Hadrian figured he could just take the bus and go himself. Unfortunately that meant he need more money.

Hadrian snuck into the house to his cupboard after listening to the droning of the television and the snores of Uncle and Aunt. Hadrian set about gathering his broken crayons and a book on plants. He gathered the blankets and rags he used as clothes and wrapped it all up in his bed sheet, feeling similar to Huckleberry Finn. Finally he made his way into the kitchen tucking away some cheese and a few slices of bread. Taking Aunt's purse from the wrack in the hallway, he took out a wad of bills, probably about thirty pounds. He hoped it would be enough to get him to London and buy whatever he needed for school.

Gathering his rucksack Hadrian opened the door when he heard Dudley come lumbering down the stairs rubbing his eyes. Spotting Hadrian the pudgy face scrunched up in anger. Dudley wobbled over to Hadrian and grabbed the collar dragging him into the living room Yelling at Uncle and Aunt. Uncle's eyes snapped open and made their way slowly to Hadrian's bag. Uncle stood over Hadrian and unbuckled the belt from around his waist

"Where do you think you're going freak?" Harry coward under the presence of Uncle.

"N-No where sir, just doing my laundry-" Uncle snatched the bag from his hands, ripping it open and shaking it in Hadrian's face.

"You Call This LAUNDRY!?" the man's face turned purple, and a stream of saliva ran down the corner of Uncle's mouth. Hadrian cringed and shrank back against Dudley's legs, receiving a kick to his lower back that sent him sprawling over Uncle's shoes. That is when the first lash came.

The first ten tore the threadbare shirt off his back, and the next flayed his skin. Where the belt didn't shred it cause large angry welts, which were especially painful when hit for the second or third time. Uncle raised his arm again and again until Hadrian's back was a mess of raw flesh that looked like the product of a meat grinder. Then Uncle proceeded to punch and kick every last inch of remaining skin, following with a few more lashes with his belt buckle. Delivering one last lash followed by a strong kick to Hadrian's side Uncle used the key fob to electrocute him. Hadrian tried to endure the pain in silence but broke when Uncle ground a cigar into his lower back. "Bring me the knife Dudley." Hadrian's eyes widened, Uncle had never used a knife on him before, only threatened. Surely being caught running away was not any worse than using freakism at the zoo, surely this beating couldn't be any worse! Dudley ran to the kitchen and brought back a thin carving knife with a wooden handle, giving it to Uncle. Uncle fingered it, running his finger down the blade before driving it into Hadrian's shoulder and dragging it across his chest. Wrenching the knife Uncle slashed his chest to the point that Hadrian couldn't mask his screams and bit his lip clean through. Hadrian looked down to see the word 'FREAK' cut across his chest and on to his shoulder like a brand. Dragging the knife up from the 'K' to Hadrian's collarbone and up to his neck, thinly slicing the soft skin under his chin. Slowly coming over the jaw, Uncle jerked the blade across Hadrian's cheek. Repeated on the other side of his face, he felt the blood trickling through his gritted teeth. The cuts on his chest and face were long and deep, Hadrian could see the blood flowing slowly out of the slashes. He began to feel the familiar effects of the blood loss starting with the light headed feeling accompanied with a dead numbness in his fingers and toes. He was slowly falling unconscious, probably dying. Grabbing the small boy by his long dirty hair Uncle threw Hadrian in the cupboard and locked the door. Hadrian's hand reached shakily towards the nest, but the blanket was just out of his reach. Too dizzy to stand, or even crawl, Hadrian just laid there. He started to draw swirling flowers on the wall with his blood adding to his dark brown garden, watching as the excess made red streaks down the wood. It became harder and harder to see the lines over the encroaching blackness of his vision, and his body went limp as Hadrian passed out from the pain and blood loss.

A little while later it was opened and Aunt placed a dog bowl filled with water and kibble in one corner. She hesitated before placing Hadrian's sack at the edge of the nest. She placed the letter on top of it with a sandwich and a clean pair of Dudley's old clothes. Aunt removed a necklace with a small green gem. Jerking it from the chain she crushed it, letting an amber liquid drizzle into Hadrian's mouth. She then kissed the tips of her fingers before letting them fall to rest on his forehead. A green glow surrounded her hand, and she moved it up and down his body. As the green light reached his back he cried as a hot tingling raced through the tortured flesh, especially around the stab wounds. Aunt clapped her other hand over his mouth and continued spreading the light over his body. His wounds slowly numbed, healing. When the light was gone Aunt backed out of the cupboard.

"I wont pretend to like you, I barely tolerate your kind of poison in my house, and I had planned to save this for my son should he ever need it," Aunt said stiffly. "Vernon was out of line today. Discipline, great. Chores, fine. I didn't sign up for you, and it's the fault of that wizard that everything happens to this house and my family, but," and she paused, "I do not condone torture. If you're not gone by morning Vernon might just kill you, and who knows how that will affect Dudley? My son has been tainted by my husband because of you, therefore you are going to leave for that school of your mother's and never come back you hear me? Don't come back ever, you won't have my sympathy a second time. Go as soon as you can and tell those freaks that they can stop ruining my life." She stood leaving the door open. "Now go." Aunt left and climbed the stairs, Hadrian heard the master bedroom door closing a heartbeat later.

"Magic," Hadrian whispered. He stood shakily and gathered his things, slipping on the new clothes. He stored the kibble for later and drank the water.

He slung the sack over his uninjured shoulder. Hadrian limped out the door, and said goodbye to the house. He unbuckled the collar and left it on the

porch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3) Lets get Down to Business

The bus driver looked at him, seemingly incredulous about the fact that a eleven-year-old boy was going to London by himself. Hadrian tried handing him some the money he had taken from Aunt.

"Where are your parents, son?" the diver quietly asked, not accepting the money.

"Have none." Hadrian whispered, his voice rough. The driver took his money, and let him on. Hadrian put his sack under the seat and sat next to the window. The bus was quiet, it nearing ten thirty. Although his external injuries had been healed, the effects of the pain and blood loss were still present and it made Hadrian very tired.

Something shook him. Hadrian leaped up, hands protecting his head, and stared at the bus driver.

"Sonny," the man said carefully, "your stop… You are gettin' off in London, right?" Hadrian nodded and retrieved his makeshift bag. He thanked the driver and quickly departed.

Looking around the street he saw a sign for the _Leaky Caldron_, and walked over. Carefully opening the door Hadrian saw that the building was actually a salon of sorts. The bar was dark and dirty and smelled like the beer Uncle drank, but thankfully it only contained a bar tender. _This can't be the entrance to the wizarding world, can it? I mean having in a bar? what were they thinking, that magical children would be fine just strolling on in and talk to the bar tender? God I hope that not all of the wizards are as stupid as this. Well, here goes nothing…_

Hadrian hurried across the room and stepped up to the counter. "Excuse me sir, is this the entrance to Diagon Alley?" The man turned around and looked at him, sizing him up.

"Hmmm, yes, But its a bit late aren't it?" Hadrian looked around nodding. "Ya needing a room then young sir?" Hadrian nodded yet again. "That'll be a gallion and two knuts."

" Sir, I-"

"Don't Have money? Well um, you can work it off tomorrow."

"Thank you sir. I'll work hard, I'll make it up to you." He sighed. He had used most of the money he had taken to get to London. Hadrian cursed his foolishness, but reasoned that '_I was in a bit of a mad dash to get away from Uncle, Maybe Mr. Barman will allow me to work for him and allow me to gather enough to pay for my school supplies.'_

Tom showed Hadrian to his room soon after. Too tired to unpack or change, Hadrian fell asleep dirty clothes and all.

[][][]

When Hadrian awoke the next morning he dressed in the spare set of clothes and finger combed his long, somewhat unruly, black hair as best he could. Half asleep, he made his way downstairs to the tavern to settle his debt. Trudging down the stairs Hadrian slammed into a tall figure, tipping precariously over the side of the banister in his attempt to swerve away. Strong fingers wrapped around his wrist pulling him to safety.

"T-Thank you," Hadrian stammered, adrenaline coursing through him, ready to flee if this stranger decided he was angry with him.

"No need, just remember to pay better attention to your surroundings in the future." said the man. Hadrian was overcome with gratitude, by some miracle the man wasn't angry. It was an interesting turn of events to say the least, no one had ever saved him from painful injuries before. Just who was this man?

Said man took in Hadrian's disheveled four size too-big clothing, black mop, cracked glasses, and bright green eyes. Hadrian, not wanting to risk the stranger's wrath again so soon, kept his eyes respectfully on the ground.

"Do you require funds boy?" asked the smooth nasal voice.

"No sir. I can earn my keep; always had too. Sir." he said respectfully. Hadrian continued, "The barman is allowing me to work of the balance-" and was cut short by the soft questioning voice of the tall bat-like man.

"What happened to your money?" Hadrian remained silent.

"How did you get here? Where are your parents?" the voice asked. Again Hadrian remained silent.

"It seems like you are in no place to refuse my hospitality, are you?"

"It seems not, sir." Hadrian replied.

"Well then, have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"No sir, but I'm fine." he said in a final, desperate, attempt. The man was having none of it.

"Now I ask again, Do you require funds for a meal?"

"... Yes sir. Thank you sir." Hadrian said in defeat. With that the man swept down the remainder of the stairs, long black cloak billowing behind him.

**[][][]**

As the man and the boy sat to eat, Hadrian took the time to examine the person who had bought him breakfast. The man had sallow skin, a lot like the skin color Hadrian had had back before he had taken over the garden duties from Aunt. He glanced at the man's face, taking in a long hooked nose and piercing black eyes, all framed by slightly greasy black hair. The man wore a long black… robe, with a black shirt and vest. Judging based on the attire Hadrian could see, he supposed that the man was also wearing black shoes and pants.

"Done staring?" the man asked raising one arched eyebrow.

Hadrian blushed, and looked down at the grimy floor of the pub. As Hadrian continued to eat he gathered his courage asking, "What is your name sir?"

"Will you grace me with yours boy?"

"Yes sir, I'm Hadrian."

"Surname?"

"I don't know sir. I'm sorry sir." This, of course, was the truth. Hadrian didn't know his last name, he only knew his first name because of a mistake by his aunt- Wait his letter! "May I be excused sir? I might be able to answer your question."

"You may…" Hadrian ran to get his letter.

When Hadrian returned he place the letter on the table and climbed onto the chair. Opening his letter, "Dear... It is my pleasure…. Here it is! Your charge, one Harry Potter; that's my name. Hadrian Potter"

The man's eyes widened in shock, which was quickly masked. "Nice to make your acquaintance Mr. Potter, my name is Severus Snape."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See second chapter for reference

A/N: Here is a change of scene for my loving readers, I hope you enjoy it. Cue the lights! Enter Professor Severus Snape:

Chapter Four) Happenstance

Severus Snape was in desperate need of an afternoon off. The old fool was meddling again, insisting he change his lesson plans and resubmit them for yet another review. Severus didn't know what was wrong with them, they covered the curriculum, but he supposed that Dumbledore was trying his utmost to keep him busy.

He sighed, closing his muggle novela and marking the page with a leather bookmark, smoothing his robes as he walked. He collected his dragonhide wallet and walked up the dungeon stairs to the great hall. Thankfully no long white beards were in sight. Once exiting the Hogwarts grounds Severus apperated to Diagon alley.

He spent time shopping for numerous potions ingredients, including a rather rare strain of Queen Anne's Lace he needed for the brewing of a Nagini antivenom (The snake had never been killed or captured). The usual Diagon alley hustle and bustle had turned into a mob of last minute shoppers because the approaching start of term for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

For the second time that day Severus sighed, he hated the start of term, especially this year. The dreaded spawn of his school enemy, none other than the pampered boy-who-lived, Harry Potter was beginning his first year at Hogwarts. Severus was both dreading and anticipating potions class with the whelp. After all it was a golden opportunity to get back at the boy's father, but at the age of thirty three Severus had a sliver of doubt about taking out his anger on the young Potter. But, whenever he thought deeply about it during his meditations this sliver was overruled by memories of his school days. Of James Potter. The man he hated most, second only to Severus' own father.

As the day was getting long, Severus decided to eat a late lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. He ordered stew with some homemade bread and carried it over to a corner table hidden in the shadows. He ate his dinner quietly listening to the other patrons, it always paid off to keep his spy hearing in top-notch condition.

Tom, the barkeep, eventually came over after most of the customers had left. He asked if Severus wanted a beer. Severus politely declined, he didn't like the reminder of his father. The farther that beat both him and his mother to the brink of death on a regular basis. The man that had left the person he loved most no other options and forced her to commit suicide, leaving him all alone. When he had received his school acceptance letter he had thought that the situation would get better, but it had not.

He remembered an incident in his fifth year quite distinctly. He had finished with top honors in everything and the highest potion OWL in almost five hundred years. He had thought that his father would be proud, maybe enough not to beat him black and blue when he arrived home. Severus had learned then that nothing could ever please his father, at least, nothing that Severus had to give. When Severus had stepped through the door of Spinner's End, he was thrashed and thrown into his room. When he saw his father next, he told him of his academic prowess. Severus had hoped that this would appease the man, instead _Father_ had beaten him and left Severus in a shed. The extra healing and blood-replenishing potions that he had brewed at school helped him last until morning, but Severus had known that if he did not get to a proper healer he would likely die. Lily had found him the next morning and carried him to her house. Severus could never tell what had happened afterward, he seemed to remember green and gold lights and someone with red hair, but that was it.

Lily Evans had been his next-door neighbor for almost as long as he could remember. Her family, like his, was very secretive about their background and ancestry. What he was able to gleam was that the Evans' other daughter Petunia was adopted, and Lily's family was very very old. He didn't pry, his mother said that everyone was entitled to their secrets, but he always wondered why Lily could talk to animals and make plants grow, as those skill were rare in wizards, especially muggle-borns. Severus also wondered how Lily and her parents knew about magic before Lily's Hogwarts letter. Unfortunately, none of these questions could be answered, Lily and her parents had died almost eleven years ago.

Lily had been killed by the very man, in an act of terrible foolishness, he had sworn his service to. The very man that had forced her to go James Potter. The man that corrupted his father. The man that had offered back the life he ruined; Voldemort.

Of course he hadn't known all of the facts before joining the death eaters, but he still hated himself for it. This was the reason he had surrendered to Dumbledore, even though the headmaster also had a role in his abuse. In his mother's death. He went to Dumbledore anyway, Hoping that by doing so he could find a way to be forgiven. Hoping to make it up to Lily, even after all the terrible things he had done under the spell of Voldemort's power.

Dumbledore had offered a deal; spy for the light and protect Lily's child for safety and a chance to make things right.

Lily's child. Harry James Potter. James' spawn.

Severus just couldn't help thinking of Harry Potter as anything but James' son, even if he knew that it was wrong to take off his anger on any child. But he was still so angry, about everything. Back and forth, again and again he had thought this over. He didn't trust himself not to be like his father, what if he went too far? Was this revenge too far?

his thinking was interrupted by the door opening, then closing quickly. Snape cast a dissolution charm and a silent tempus. Nearly ten twenty. He had been thinking for almost two hours! Albus had likely closed the wards by now meaning he'd have to stay the night. Or go to Prince House. Or Spinner's end. Neither was currently an option.

The door opened again and a dirty boy, as thin as rail, walked in dragging a sack made out of a sheet. Tom and the boy talked a bit. The boy didn't have any money; Tom lent him a room for the promise of work tomorrow morning. The boy thanked him and followed Tom upstairs.

When Tom returned shaking his head he said in the direction of Severus' concealed person, "I just don't know about that kid, seems like he's running from trouble, but I feel bad for him. Ya know?"

Severus undid his spell and nodded thinking of his own childhood, "I'll pay for his room and provide breakfast for him tomorrow, but I need to you your floo, as I am going to stay for the night." Tom walked over to bar for a room key as Severus used the floo to call Albus. Needless to say the powerful light wizard was not happy about his only potions master being out of his control, but relented under Severus' dark glare. When he mentioned the child however, Albus's eyes started to twinkle and he handed severus a Gringotts key through the fire call. 'You might need this' he said.

"Hey Severus," Severus motioned him to continue, "Would you take the boy to Gringotts after breakfast tomorrow? He wanted to go, and I got the shift for most of the morning."

"I'll take him to his vault, if he has one. If not, he looks like a muggle-born student, I can authorize a student loan for him. I shall inquire about his reasons for being here over breakfast in the morning." Tom thanked him and gave him the key to room thirty three.

Severus raised one of his arched eyebrows "Do you ever rent this room out to anyone else Tom? It is always open when I am here."

"Just for you. Because of that superstition ya have." The man chuckled. Severus glared jokingly and mumbled something along the lines of 'something of my mother's' and 'it is not a superstition' before standing and accepting the room key from Tom.

"G'night."

He graced Tom with a rare smile, "Good night Tom, thank you," and went to bed.

Severus stared at the raven haired and green eyed boy holding a Hogwarts letter in front of him. Of course this was James son, The round face and messy hair said it all, though the boy certainly didn't act like his father. If James had been famous, he wouldn't have been satisfied until everyone bowed down to him; this boy looked he would rather disappear from Severus' gaze by sinking into the floor.

The awkward lapse was interrupted by a hesitantly asked question of "Do you know me sir?" from the boy, who was still staring at his feet.

After choosing his words carefully Severus replied "I have a general idea who you are Mr. Potter, though I do not know you personally." the boy looked a bit nervous at that statement.

"Are you a friend of Uncle's then sir?" the boy looked terrified, Severus wondered why. The boy had most likely been treated like a king. Then Severus remembered last night, and an odd and unsettling feeling rose in his chest. The boy had looked exactly like Severus himself when he had started Hogwarts; dirty, thin, wary, and broken. Severus hoped he was wrong.

"I do not know your Uncle Mr. Potter. I did know your pig of a father however." he said the last part with a sneer. He wanted to test the boy, would he lash out like James claiming that he knew everything, would he defend his father without facts?

"I'm sorry if my father was rude or unjust to you sir, I don't know anything about him. Could you tell me what he did wrong and I'll be more than happy to apologise…" the boy trailed off into silence glancing at Severus for a moment before looking back down.

Severus was speechless. The boy, had he just offered to apologise? To cover his surprise, he said simply "Your father antagonized me during our school days, and nearly got me killed. But that is the past, I spoke unjustly, and I apologise."

"That's okay sir, I'm sorry that my dad was mean to you. I'm glad you told me, I hate bullies and I would rather find out that my father was one now than later in an argument." the boy's eyes were strong and hard; he had meant what he had said.

Unable to make a proper reply their conversation lapsed again into silence, so both Severus and Hadrian focused on finishing their meals. Severus noticed that the boy had snuck a piece of toast into his pocket, obviously for later.

Severus and Hadrian gathered the plates and utensils, bringing them to the counter. Hadrian asked about his work.

"Don't worry about it," Tom said winking at Hadrian, "Now Mr. Snape here offered to take ya to Gringotts, is that okay with you little man?"

Hadrian nodded and turned to Severus, "Thank you sir," he said calmly.

Severus asked, "Would you like to change Mr. Potter?" glancing at the wrinkled and dirty clothes and the badly worn oversized trainers.

"These are the best I have sir…"

"Well then our first stop after Gringotts is Madame Malkins, Tom may I use your floo again?" The man nodded, and Severus quickly called Dumbledore and asked for the key to Hadrian's vault. The Headmaster smiled and said he had given it to Severus last night. When Severus had asked how he knew it was the boy the man grew strangely quiet, and let the conversation drop after he extracted a promise from Severus to bring back the sorcerer's stone from the Gringotts vault. Severus returned and he motioned the boy to follow him, "Let us be off then. Shall we?"

Severus led Hadrian through the side door of the tavern to a brick wall. "Watch closely." he pulled out his wand and tapped a series of bricks. The wall rippled and folded into itself creating an archway. Hadrian moved to see around Severus and gasped.

Severus smiled, "Welcome, Mr. Potter, to Diagon Alley"

Hadrian was in utter awe. Then he put on his old pair of glasses and exclaimed again. Through the archway he could see hundreds of people dressed the same as Mr. Snape with capes swirling and boots clomping. Turning his attention to the shops, he gasped again. The signs of the shops has curling writing that rewrote itself every thirty seconds, and moving pictures of what the shops sold. Each shop had a window filled with the oddest of things like large venus fly traps and long brooms. Hadrian wished he could buy something, anything from this street, books especially.

"We can look later Mr. Potter. First we need to go to Gringotts, the wizarding bank, to get money for your school supplies" Hadrian nodded trying to keep up with Mr. Snape's fluid walk while wondering if he even had money in this bank.

Mr. Snape led Hadrian over to a large greek looking building that said "Gringotts" on the large marble cross-beam that held the arched roof in place. Walking inside Hadrian gazed up at the tall domed ceiling painted with stars and the gilded marble column. Guards stood at the entrance and desks framed the long hall, in them were goblins talking to customers or looking over paperwork. In the middle causeway was a tall podium that held a goblin, at least Hadrian thought so as he could only make out a blur even with his glasses on. The building was disturbingly larger on the inside than the outside.

"Can I help you sirs?" asked a gravelly voice, which Hadrian found belonged to a short bat eared creature with grey stringy hair and small black eyes, he assumed was a goblin based on the few fantasy novels he had read. Mainly Lord of the Rings.

Mr. Snape nodded motioning to Hadrian, "This young man is starting hogwarts this upcoming term, would you be so kind as to check for vaults and inheritances?"

"Of course Professor Snape, right this way young man."

As Hadrian followed the Goblin he wondered at the title "professor". Was it possible that Mr. Snape, no Professor Snape, worked at this school called 'Hogwarts' that he was attending? Hadrian hoped so, he liked the tall brooding man.

"Over her young sir," Hadrian walked over to the mentioned table and sat down after the goblin, waiting nervously for instructions.

The goblin handed him a dagger, "Please make a shallow cut in your palm, and let the blood drip onto the parchment." Hadrian fingered the dagger, and shakily sliced his palm watching the bright blood run down his fingers onto the thick paper.

The blood sank into the parchment and a long list in red curly writing appeared.

_**Name:**_ _Hadrian James Potter (born under name: ?)_

_**Parents:**_ _Lily Enya Potter (nee: Evans) and James Charles Potter and/or: ?_

_**Holdings**__: (total: 333,000,000 galleons, 33 sickles, 3 knutts and roughly three thousand pounds)_

_Potter vault_

_Hadrian Potter Educational Trust Fund_

_Evans Vault_

_Slytherin Vault (with permission from main vault holder)_

_Ravenclaw Vault (with permission from main vault holder)_

_Black Vault (Left to Hadrian Potter in the will of Sirius Black)_

_Summer Vault (Through blood inheritance [with permission from main vault holder])_

_Prince Vault_

_**Possible Lordships:**_ _Potter, Slytherin (Hadrian James Potter is not heir apparent), Ravenclaw (Heir apparent), Summer (not in direct line to the throne), Black (left to Hadrian James Potter by Sirius Orion Black), Prince (heir apparent)_

_**Lordships Able to be Claimed Currently:**_ _Potter (with guardian's approval), Ravenclaw, Black (left in the will of Sirius Orion Black with no specific inheriting age)_

_**Blood Inheritance: **__Throne of the Summer Court of the Fae (not in direct line to the throne), thirty (three) out of the one hundred seats on the Wizengamot (Potter: 2, Slytherin: 10 (Seats have been left unclaimed), Ravenclaw: 10, Black: 7, Summer: 1, Possible; Prince: 3)_

_**Magic Inheritance:**_ _Natural Occlumens (bound), Natural Ligitimens (bound), Wizard Magic (partially bound), Fae Magic (unawakened), Parseltongue (unrealized)_

_**Creature Inheritance:**_ _Fae (Unawakened until thirteenth birthday__**)**_

_**Relatives alive:**_ _Petunia (n/a) Dursley (nee: Evans, Born Petunia ? [through adoption]), Sirius Orion Black (Godfather chosen by James Charles Potter [not applicable: incarcerated in the lowest levels of Azkaban and dead in the face of the law]), Remus (n/a) Lupin (Godfather chosen by Lily Enya Potter, nee: Evans), Severus Tobias Snape (relation unknown) _

Professor Snape walked in after Hadrian had made it through the list. "Sir, Can you help me decipher this? It is a bit confusing…" the professor accepted the list and looked it over glancing at Hadrian every so often.

"It seems that we are related, rather strongly, somehow." looking the list over again, "Fae blood, interesting. I also am part Fae." as proof Professor Snape lifted his greasy hair to show ever so slightly pointed ears.

"But sir how can we be related? I've never met you before today!" Hadrian was suddenly so angry he could just spit! Where had Severus Snape been while he was suffering Uncle's beatings and the shock collar? Where were his Godfathers? Why was he the one always left behind? Was he fated never to have a normal life and family like anyone else? God, he hated it. He hated his life.

"You should know that most of the wizarding world is related to one another. No need to mask your horror," said the professor, a hint of concern masked with a sneer creeping into his voice.

Hadrian fought the tears of pain and loneliness rising to the surface. He hadn't cried since he was six, he wouldn't start now. Especially in front of his soon to be teacher.

Hadrian calmed himself, taking long deep breaths. He asked the goblin, "May I see my trust fund for school please." The goblin nodded the affirmative and asked for a key, which was provided by Professor Snape.

Continuing with his earlier conversation Professor Snape said "We will have to see about the lordships at a later date, though I am afraid you are not going to be Lord Prince anytime soon, as I am still alive." hoping to see a smile or questioning look on the boy's face he looked down only to see a blank mask and was met with a chilling silence. How was the boy the heir apparent for the Prince family anyway, he was the only Prince left? And the boy was in line for the Summer Court throne, and a descendant of two founders. He would make a powerful ally in politics and in the upcoming war.

Only the cart ride to his vault brought Hadrian out of his shell. He thought that this is what a roller coaster was suppose to feel like. He had never been allowed to go with Aunt, Uncle, and Dudley to the amusement park. Regardless, he found himself enjoying the ride, and promised himself that he would ride a real roller coaster sometime in the near future.

They arrived at the vault a few minutes later. Still not talking to the professor, he politely asked the goblin's name as he was opening the door.

"My name is Braztok, young sir, and it heartens me to find such a polite young wizard as you. You are the first in quite a long time to ask me my name, the only other was your companion and I do not think he quite remembers," the goblin smiled at the young wizard pulling out a black ring made of volcanic stone.

"This is for my appreciation, it is my family's stone. Since the beginning of the alliance between Wizards and Goblins my family has taken to sponsoring young wizarding children. You seem to be quite the interesting child, not to mention you are of the Fae. If you ever need me, go to the podium in the middle of the hall and ask to see Braztok Blackstone, I'll come right away."

"Thank you sir, I will treat it carefully." Hadrian said bowing to the goblin in a way described in yet another of his books.

"Are you two done yet?" asked the slightly aggravated Professor Snape.

"Do older wizards have manners at all?." Hadrian whispered to Braztok, the goblin chuckled, opening the door as he did so.

Hadrian gasped, he seemed to be turning it into a habit, he had never seen so much wealth in one place. He reminded himself that he had at least three more vaults of equal or greater wealth. He couldn't believe it. He swore never to live in poverty again, he would buy himself whatever he wanted within reason. He would have good clothes that fit, a pair of nice boots like he had seen worn on the street above, and the best school supplies. He would be the one of the children who attracted the jealous looks of their classmates, not the one wishing for his classmates discarded materials. He wondered why he had never seen any of this money before, Hadrian was positive that it was illegal to withhold funding from it's designated use. He had a trust fund, he should have been able to access it improve his living conditions. Surely he could have used some of it to buy books, clothes, and first aid supplies for himself when he lived at Uncle's. For all he knew if he had given the Dursley's some of this money they wouldn't have beaten or starved him.

Professor snape explained money to him, among other things. Hadrian listened, while going over his school list. Finally he grabbed as many galleons, sickles, and knuts he could hold in the sack that Braztok gave him.

The minecart ride was just as fun up as it had been going down, and when they were ready to leave Hadrian stepped aside to thank Braztok.

"Your welcome young sir."

"Call me Hadrian Mr. Braztok."

"Thank you Hadrian."

"You're welcome, but I have one more thing to ask," Braztok waited for the proposal, "I was wondering if I could hire you to manage my money, as I am most likely terrible at this sort of thing, and I have no idea about where to even start orgini-." Braztok cut off his pleadings.

"I would be honored Hadrian, I'll send you updates through a secure owl every week if thats ok with you."

"That would be great thank you. How much money is required for your services?" Hadrian didn't care how much, he liked Braztok, and he felt goblins were trustworthy.

"One hundred and thirty three galleons and seven sickles. no more no less" he added at Hadrian's unbelieving expression.

"But that's hardly anything compared to what is inside my vaults! You should get more-" he was cut off again, this time by Braztok's hand.

"No more no less" the goblin stated again with a smile.

"Thank you Mr. Braztok"

"You are most welcome, but I think your professor is getting a bit peeved. Go on now, I will contact you later," Hadrian nodded and left waving. Professor Snape, seeing he was coming, turned briskly and walked towards the entrance of the bank with Hadrian James Potter in tow.

"Perhaps there is still some hope left for the wizards, and the Fae," mused the goblin, looking after the small boy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five) The Finding of a Wand, or Sword, or Something Like That.

As promised Professor Snape next took Hadrian to acquire a proper wizard wardrobe. Leading him down the cobble street, Hadrian finally got a chance to look closely at Diagon Alley. Most of the stores were two stories, with Dutch roofs and French windows filled with wonderful things Hadrian could now afford. Madame Malkin's was a small one story shop made of red bricks and white wood trimmings, with large boutique style windows.

Hadrian seeing what was inside the windows of the clothing shop, was going over what he would like to wear for the next year of his life. He was partial to the colors of black, navy, and dark forest green, but was undecided as to what kind of robes he wanted as he had never worn any. Hadrian was looking forward to wearing clothing that he actually fit in, and he wondered what would be appropriate. He decided that he would ask around to see what was 'in style' as Aunt put it, and add a few changes to make it slightly original. He would ask for assistance if he needed it but he swore that he would have the final say. Hadrian had had enough of being a submissive dog at Uncle's.

Almost reaching the shop, Hadrian caught the eye of a rather tall pair of, what he assumed to be, upper class gentlemen with startlingly blonde hair. The older of the two had pale ice blue eyes and white blond hair reaching down past his waist, while the younger had hair noticeably shorter than Hadrian's own, and darker blue eyes. They were obviously related, father and son most likely, and carried themselves with grace and purpose. The halted upon seeing Hadrian and the professor.

"Hello Lucius. Draco." the Professor greeted them formally, but familiarly, signaling to Hadrian's mind that these two were to be respected. Acting on his observation, Hadrian said hello and bowed to both, addressing them both as 'sir', hoping this was appropriate.

"Hello. Who might you be?" The tall blond man looked down his nose at Hadrian, taking in his disheveled appearance, The boy did the same. Hadrian looked at the ground, unhappy to be caught in the current situation dressed in a ratty wide collared T-shirt and a pair of faded shorts held up with a piece of green twine. He made a mental note to get more than school robes so he could avoid looking like a starved gutterboy in pleasant company, even if his appearance wasn't far from the truth.

Hoping to still make a good first impression even without decent clothing, Hadrian replied saying, "Sirs my name is Hadrian James Potter. Pleased to make your acquaintance. May I have the pleasure of knowing who I speak to?" The two blondes glanced at each other and at Severus in shock before adopting their cool masks again.

"I am Lucius Malfoy, and this is my son Draco," The blonde man said looking strangely at Professor Snape, "Draco is enrolling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are you also starting at Hogwarts next term?" realizing that the question was addressed more to Professor Snape, Hadrian stayed silent allowing the professor to explain.

"Yes Mr. Potter will be starting in the fall, we are here to get the basic supplies for him. Robes, wand, and the like." Lucius noticed the subtle body language telling him that Severus was uncomfortable talking in the open, so he suggested that they move inside. Before Hadrian could follow Draco Malfoy stopped him.

"Are you really Harry Potter? You look like a street urchin, not a soon to be lord." Draco said with an eyebrow arch, speaking volumes of 'I don't believe you' to Hadrian. '_Rude much?'_ he thought.

"I am Hadrian Potter," he replied, but after thinking on Draco's words for a second he asked, "but how do you know me, I don't think we've met before? Professor Snape said the same thing. Do you have an explanation for the fact that everybody knows who I am before even I do?" Hadrian added exasperated, he had had enough secrets about himself for one day, he wanted the truth. How did Draco know of his lordships, and why did everyone react to him with a mixture of shock and disbelief? Did they expect him to act like Draco? Later he would need to weigh the pros and cons of adopting such a persona.

"Everybody In the wizarding world knows about you, you're famous!" Draco said eying Hadrian, clearly still not believing him.

"Famous for what… exactly?" Hadrian asked softly. What could he have possibly done to attract the attention of a world that he had never known existed? Did this have a connection to his Uncle or Aunt? God he hoped not. It seemed like yet another thing he had been kept from not knowing; this was getting tiresome.

Draco leaned closer to Hadrian, speaking in the same tone, and whispered "You killed one of the most powerful wizards in our age; Lord Voldemort. Killed him when you were a baby by surviving the killing curse, somehow. No one had ever done that before, or since then, that's why you're famous. People literally worship you, you know."

Hadrian's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't speak. Being worshiped for something that he couldn't even remember, how was he ever supposed to live up to that model? How did this matched Aunt's side of the story? Did Aunt lie? What was this 'killing curse'? He would ask Professor Snape about it later, but right know he had to salvage the remains of his dignity, not gape like the street rat this boy thought he was. Hadrian gathered his courage and asked about Diagon Alley, careful not to seem to helpless. The other boy allowed Hadrian to change the subject without complaint and answered his questions, waiting for his father.

... Meanwhile on the inside of Madame Malkin's …

"What is it Severus?" asked Lucius, wanting to know what was going on that allowed his friend to be civil to the son of his hated enemy.

"Look at this list, while we were in Gringotts I had him take a inheritance test; these are the results." Severus had something akin to concern mixed with nervousness in his eyes as he handed over the list.

Lucius scanned it eyes widening at the mention of the Prince vault, and his friend's name in the listing of alive relatives. "Did you advise him to take his Lordships? And what is this mention of you being related to 'Potter spawn' as you so often call him? In order for it to appear on the list it would have to be a relatively strong relation correct? How is this possible?" Lucius muttered and turned back to Severus, waiting for an answer.

"As to your first question, I did not. The boy was raised by muggles, Dumbledore's orders, and has just learned of magic… He does not even know he is famous. Yet another thing I need to explain to him before Albus gives him the 'Hero sacrifice' version, so I did not think he needed another thing on his plate. I will speak with him about it after his first year if nobody else has at that point in time." at that point Severus paused to think for a moment before continuing. "As to our relation, It might be simply that I am related to him distantly from both sides of his family, you know how I feel about Lily's supposed 'muggle-born' status. It could also be on my Fae side, as we both share Summercourt blood. Other than that I do not have the slightest idea why, or how, we are related."

"Hmmmm, I look into it If you want me to. But there is one more thing that concerns me. That boy has more bound magic then I have ever seen, and this will probably cause a stunt in his magical growth. He already look far too skinny, I suggest that you have as many of these bindings taken off tomorrow as you can, after that… you should wait and see about anything else." Lucius concluded, waiting for Severus's opinion.

"Lucius," Severus said eyes gleaming with humor, "What would our Lord think if you were aiding the enemy?"

"He wouldn't think, instead he would throw a tantrum and torture a couple of low ranking death eaters along with me into insanity for our 'betrayal'." Lucius said laughing. "But," he continued seriously, "I would rather kill myself then serve that bastard again. I couldn't risk Draco's life for power that I would never get. Sev, I'm not going in blind like the first war. I know what is right, even if it means allying myself with Dumbledore for the the time being. And besides," Lucius said softly, returning to the topic of Hadrian's magic, "I hate it when families bind their child's magic; it is unpleasant at best, and even deadly if left alone for too long."

"I'll look into it," Severus agreed, "Hopefully the Dark Lord won't come back, and will spare us the trouble of killing him again. Then maybe I can start my own apothecary… Finally" Severus said bitterly, clearly not believing his own statement. After a lapse in silence he suggested that they retrieve the two eleven-year-olds before they "get themselves into three kinds of trouble" as Lucius put it.

They found the boys outside sitting on bench pointing out different styles of robes and boots. Severus called them, and they all entered the store.

[][][]

Hadrian stood uncomfortably ridged on a stool having his measurements taken by one of Madame Malkin's helpers. The woman seemed a bit nervous, but whether that was due to himself or his companions he was unsure, he just hoped that she didn't prick him with any needles. Next to him Draco was getting fit for winter robes and a new cloak, as he had already bought his school robes and supplies. As the first woman finished, another brought him a book filled with different kinds of robe styles, colors, and fabrics for home and school. Hadrian perused the book and chose several styles and color combinations at the recommendation of the Malfoy's, and nice black potions robe at Professor Snape's request.

For his school robes he chose a high collared dark green silk shirt and charcoal grey slacks that went under his robes. His outer robe was back with white lining on the collar, and outer edge, while the inside was a darker black silk. The same coloration was applied to the two cuffs around his upper forearms, which had the Hogwarts crest showing on the outside. The robe sleeves were fairly tight with them widening slightly at the bottom allowing his fluffy silk sleeves to show through. The whole ensemble reminded Hadrian strongly of a Japanese anime character from the one light novel he had gotten to read before Dudley ripped it apart. 'Kirito' he thought the character's name was. Hadrian ordered all of his robes to be made of the finest materials and asked if he could have one of school robes made without the crests for use today, to which Madame Malkin replied that she could have one made in an hour.

While waiting Hadrian looked for a pair of sturdy black boots, as well as regular shoes. He ended up choosing a pair of black boots with silver clasps, which made them look a bit punk-rock, matching his robes. He also ordered a black fur cloak, gloves, and a long dark green scarf for winter.

"You look like a Slytherin in those colors!" said Draco laughing.

"What's a 'Slytherin'?" asked Hadrian confused.

"Not what, but _who_, or possibly _where_, Mr. Potter. Slytherin is the surname name of one of the four founders of Hogwarts. Salazar Slytherin along with Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw started the school, so the four houses that students are sorted into are named after them." Professor Snape replied.

"Sorting, Professor? How?" Hadrian asked with trepidation, "Will it be a test?"

"No, it is not a test, because the sorting does not have to do with intelligence," Draco interrupted and muttered 'unless he was a Ravenclaw' to which Professor Snape replied with a glare. "Sorting," the man continued, "Is about where the student would be the most comfortable and at their best. All houses have merits, never let anyone tell you different. Gryffindor, while a bunch of idiots, are some of the bravest people in the school. Hufflepuffs Are loyal and work hard, but are much too sensitive. Ravenclaws are known for their thirst for knowledge and insensitivity, and Slytherins their ambition and which often leads them down dark roads. Each and every house has their own strengths and weaknesses, but not all of them are the ones you expect. Do you Understand?"

"Yes sir, I think so. What house were you in Professor?" Hadrian asked.

"Slytherin, the house of the snake. Which I am currently the head of house, or the leader of Slytherin, if you prefer."

"And you Mr. Malfoy?"

"Slytherin, a year higher than Severus."

"Hmmm" Hadrian thought '_I Wonder what House I'll be in.'_

Soon after Madame Malkin came with Hadrian's new clothing, which he changed into. When Hadrian glanced at himself in the mirror he was amazed at the transformation he had seemingly gone through. He looked older, far less 'street-rat-like', and if he let himself, a bit like Professor Snape; he shook his head against his wishful thinking.

"Hey you look halfway decent now!" Draco laughing until he saw his father's glare. Continuing in a sincere tone he said, "Really Hadrian you look good."

"Thanks Draco," It was nice to hear compliments, even if Hadrian didn't particularly like the bond boy.

"Well now that this is cleared up, Mr. Potter, Draco, let us go buy your wands." Hadrian's head shot up. Once he had a wand, he would never be terrorized again. He could, and would, defend himself by any means he had. This would be another thing that would set him apart from Aunt and Uncle, and the farther away he got the better.

The professor led the way to a shop by the name of Ollivanders, and held open the door for the Malfoys and Hadrian. Hadrian looked critically at the shop, it was dirty and dusty smelling of old wood. Hadrian wondered why none of the wizarding community seemed to care for their homes; that was what magic was for right? Now that he thought about it the whole of Diagon alley was dilapidated, and horribly old fashioned. Most of these people probably had never seen a calculator, let alone a computer or the internet. How backwards was this whole system? Hadrian thought that wizarding society should be far ahead of the rest of the world with magic at their side, but it seemed that they were a hundred years behind the rest of Britain. Even their speaking was different, more convoluted and archaic. Hadrian had read most of the history books in his school library, his only safe place, and knew that if the rest of the wizarding world was like this, he would be expected to conform. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be another option. He was, apparently, enormously famous. No one would just leave Hadrian James Potter be. What he needed to do was fit in as seamlessly as possible, and let them think that he was just like them, it would make things easier in the long run. When he had pretended to be a sniveling submissive boy, not that it had taken much acting, for Uncle, things were much safer for Hadrian.

He gazed at the tall forms of Mr. Malfoy, Draco, and Professor Snape, organizing their movements in his brain, and copied their posture. It wasn't as hard as he had thought, but then again he had a model to work from, not a person ripping the skin from his back. He adjusted his shoulders and chin while crossing his arms like Professor Snape, seeming to the rest of the world that he was of the same class and upbringing as the Malfoys. Hadrian settled into the role, watching Draco as a guide.

A very old wizard, who Hadrian thought looked exactly like Albert Einstein with his crazy white hair, came walking down a narrow aisle lined by shelves filled to the ceiling with narrow cardboard boxes. The man looked through his glasses perched on the tip of his long nose staring back at Hadrian. Averting his eyes slightly, Hadrian continued his observation of the man and the inside of the shop.

"Ah, Misters Malfoy, Snape, and… Potter," The man said in a whispery voice that echoed strangely through the silent shop, "I have been waiting for these young sirs."

Hadrian remained quiet, looking back into the misty blue eyes of the shopkeeper. Sighing inwardly, Hadrian thought '_another person who knows me, without me knowing them. This getting a bit annoying'_.

"Ten and two quarters inch, mahogany; Vela hair core for Mr. Malfoy, and thirteen and three quarters inch, Basilisk fang core made of ebony wood; a rare combination, for Mr. Snape. Ah those were the days, they all tended to have dragon heartstring or unicorn hair for cores nowadays, and with none of the more interesting woods," the man replied wistfully, "but, perhaps you young gentlemen will surprise me." the shopkeeper said, looking at Draco before glancing at Hadrian. Hadrian's suspicions rose, '_what did this man have planned?'_.

Draco stepped forward, and the man nodded retreating briefly into the hall to retrieve a box, which he placed in front of Draco. Draco opened the box revealing a short slightly curved lightly colored wand carved like a twisting horn.

"Nine and three fourths inch, willow; with a fairy tear core. Good for transfiguration and healing." the man said.

Draco waved the wand, but it refused to do anything. The old man took it away returning with a longer box. This went on for a short while, with Draco getting more and more upset, until the man came with a medium length box. Draco opened it dejectedly and took the long wand carved with tree branches in an interlocking pattern around the handle. Before Draco could even wave the wand, a burst of pale green leafs and sparks burst forth out of the tip of the wand. Draco nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Interesting. Eleven inches, Aspen; with a branch given from a Dryad's tree. I had wondered who this wand would go to. It is an excellent wand for charms and healing magic, not so good for transfiguration though. Trees Will adapt, eventually, but grudgingly. That will be ten Galleons."

Hadrian cautiously stepped forward and waited at the counter for the man, whose name he now knew as Ollivander, to give him a wand to try. Mr. Ollivander had him go through many wands before he returned gleefully with a wand; Holly and Phoenix feather. As Hadrian picked up the wand, Olivander turned and started a speech about how it was 'so very curious' that this wand had chosen Hadrian, until a sickening feeling hit Hadrian in the gut so hard he doubled over and dropped the offending wand. Just being near the wand made Hadrian ill, something about that wand was _wrong_. Kicking the wand away from him Hadrian backed against the wall bracing himself for an attack, though from the wand or the now dangerously angry shopkeeper he didn't know.

Ollivander was yelling at him for kicking the wand disrespecting the wand, and the others were giving him a strange look. Hadrian wasn't listening. He was still reeling from the feeling of the wand, a feeling that compelled him to… to… he didn't know, but it felt slimy and too sweet. Much too powerful and controlling, reminding him of the collar Christmas. Of Uncle's voice, and the pain that accompanied it. Hadrian wanted nothing to do with that wand. Ever. Only the fact that if he left now he would never get a wand kept Hadrian from running ran back to Gringotts and locking himself in a vault. The more he thought about it the more distressed he became, a knot of cold fire eating his insides and settling in his gut. He hadn't realized he had slid down the wall, or started rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet covering his ears. He certainly hadn't heard the silky voice of Mr. Malfoy, or the high nervous voice of Draco asking if he was 'okay'. The only thing he realized was that he was acting exactly like the image he was trying to cover; the one of a scared boy that couldn't deal with the knowledge of the wizarding world. The lost child in a place that he had no idea of what to make of, of how to continue. The one beaten into submission so many times that his response to problems was to curl up and hide inside himself. And this thought sent him panicking all over again.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter!" a deep nasal voice commanded "Stop this instant!"

Hadrian's shaking subsided, and as he calmed down the sound of the world came fully back. Professor Snape crouched over him, a hand resting on Hadrian's shoulder.

"Under control now Mr. Potter?" asked Professor Snape with sneer, that Hadrian could almost certainly tell was covering worry and compassion that man could not express in front of their present company. Hadrian wondered why that was, but was jolted back to reality fully by the professor pulling him to his feet.

Realizing he had been asked a question, Hadrian nodded the affirmative to the affirmative. He stood shakily with Professor Snape's help and immediately apologized to Mr. Ollivander, appeasing him.

"Sir," Hadrian hesitantly asked, "Wouldn't it be faster to walk down the aisle and see which one 'calls' to me as you say it should? I'm sorry sir, I'm feeling a bit tired. I understand if you would rather me not-" Hadrian rambled on.

"Come then boy," Hadrian flinched, "I haven't got all day." Ollivander said, his voice harsh. Obviously he was still angry.

Hadrian followed meekly, and started slowly walking down the aisle not feeling anything until he got closer to the end of the hallway. Despite Ollivander's calls to come back, Hadrian was drawn closer and closer to the dustiest shelf. Squatting to get a closer look, Hadrian pulled out a very long box and blew of the dust. The box was made of a dark wood with silver engravings of a curling language Hadrian could not read. He carried it past Ollivander and placed it on the counter like the other wands. He carefully opened the box to see a long object covered by green velvet. Hadrian reached in and pulled out a wand, but it was unlike any of the wands he had seen today. For starters it was almost three feet long and in the shape of a short sword. The base of the wand was a clear shimmering crystal framed by interlocking pieces of a dark red tinted wood, which retreated towards the end of the wand to reveal a blade. The pommel was in the shape of a crown, and the hilt a pair of triangles; the longest point facing outwards. Immediately inferior to the hilt, the middle of the blade narrowed before flaring into angled rectangle, after which it returned to a straight blade that tapered into a point.

As soon as Hadrian touched it the crystal glowed, bathing the room in a wavering golden light reminiscent of sunlight as seen through trees. The wand felt comforting, kind, even. It was powerful, but in a way that didn't draw attention. It was the complete opposite of the holly wand; this wand was willing and glad to share power with its holder, and it expected nothing in return but care. It reminded Hadrian of himself; quiet, not wanting to draw attention to himself, but longing for love and acceptance. The only thing Hadrian had ever wanted was a family, and the power to protect himself from people who wanted to hurt him. Hadrian was sure he could accomplish any goal he was ready to work for with this wand.

The glow dimmed, and with the fading his wand shrank to a more manageable size. It resembled more of a regular wand, though it still had blade-like characteristics. It would be easier to carry in a sheath, than the open ended wand holsters on the wall of the wand shop. Looking at the graceful dagger-like wand in his hand Hadrian smiled with simple joy for the first time in a long time. He had found something that understood him and supported him unconditionally.

Looking at the crystal that made up his wand sparkling like the sky, Hadrian called softly: "Starfire."

The wand thrummed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six) Cages

After finding Starfire, Hadrian paid for the wand and was promptly kicked out of the store by Olivander. He walked over to a bench and pulled out his new wand. Hadrian traced the pattern on the smaller version of the blade. Everything that had happened inside the wand shop was worth it for Starfire. The wand hummed in agreement, as if saying '_of course I was'_. Starfire apparently had a sense of humor.

Professor Snape came out a bit later. The professor glanced at him, looking like he wanted to talk; Hadrian stubbornly kept his eyes on Starfire. He didn't want to think too much at the moment.

"Mr. Potter, do you wish to-," The man stopped after seeing Hadrian's expression, "no matter. We still have a bit of shopping to complete. Come along." He said robes swirling.

Hadrian reluctantly got up and Starfire in a side belt loop of his under robe pants. He had to run to catch up to the professor's long stride.

"So Sir where to next?" he asked

"I believe that you still require your school texts and potion supplies. The best place to get your school books is Flourish and Blotts, which is right over here." Professor Snape turned down a side street and walked through an open doorway into a crowded bookstore. Hadrian gasped, there were more books in this small store than in the Surrey public library.

Seeing the boys reaction, Professor Snape stood to the side letting Hadrian run into the store. The man's lip twitched in a small smile; he had acted the same when his mother, Eileen Prince, had snuck him out of Spinners end for a day to get his school supplies. It had been one of her last good days. The professor followed the boy into the aisles and watched him pick book after book and set them in a small basket.

Hadrian was in heaven. He had found a box set of his school books right away, and had moved on to personal choices. So far he had gathered books on magical plants and animals, wizarding society, and even banking; as he had no idea how to manage his money, and he didn't want Braztok to get annoyed at his lack of knowledge. Making his way around the shop Hadrian ended up in a dusty section about potions.

He was surprised, how could a major subject in school have a section that looked like no one had visited in over a decade? The owner of the shop hadn't dusted either. The whole shelf looked like someone was trying to forget it was there.

Hadrian pulled out a text meant for introducing potions and opened the front cover of the book. The summary describing the subject told Hadrian that Potions was closest to chemistry and botany; two of his favorite subjects. He added two other introductory texts and one tome that listed all ministry certified potions to his stack. He was perusing a listing of common potion ingredients and their effects when Professor Snape found him.

"Interested in the art of potions Mr. Potter?" the professor asked, while looking at Hadrian's pile of books to add to his basket.

"Yes sir. Potions is a lot similar to chemistry and botany, two subjects I found the most interesting in primary school," Hadrian said looking up into the slightly surprised face of the professor.

Hadrian put the potions listing book in the basket and moved down the row a bit. This section looked even worse than the last. Hadrian grabbed the first book on the shelf, and opened "An Introduction to Darker Majiks" by G. Grindelwald. Professor Snape watched as the young teen read for a minute before placing the book into his basket.

"Mr. Potter are you sure that you want to buy that particular book?" The tall man asked.

"It looks interesting, and its not that much money… Is there a reason I shouldn't buy it?" Hadrian asked back, curious.

"Lets just say that this particular branch of magic is a bit… controversial. If you are interested in it, you might want to keep it quiet." Professor Snape said, a strange untraceable look in his eyes.

"Books are for reading, in my experience professor. I would rather read a book in secret than not read this book at all." Hadrian stated and moved down the row, picking up another book and blowing off the dust.

The professor looked at the boy, mulling over his words. "True Mr. Potter, how true."

Hadrian picked up the basket and walked to the counter to pay for his new books. As he was about to set his books on the table a large force slammed into his side knocking the basket out of his hands and scattering books like leaves in a fall wind. Hadrian himself was pushed onto the ground and landed sharply on the glasses he had put in his inside robe pocket, as they were not good for reading. Standing, Hadrian felt the glasses break apart, so he carefully reached for them only to find a pocket full of broken glass and metal. Hadrian brought out the now badly bent frames, and knew immediately they were warped beyond all repair.

Turning he glared at the tall red-haired boy that had crashed into him, giving him his best impression of the stare Mr. Malfoy had given Draco. The boy wilted.

"I'm sorry, really I am." the boy said, but then went right back and put his foot in his mouth by saying, "But were you trying to get your self run over? You were standing in everybody's way!'

"In your way! So you think it was my fault you nearly trampled me, and broke my glasses?!" Hadrian sputtered. This boy made Draco look like a well-mannered child in comparison!

Just as the boy was about to reply a short woman with rambunctious red curls came up behind him, grabbed his ear, and started to yell at the boy for disrespecting the stores customers. She looked up to apologize to the boy, but Hadrian had picked up his books, left the appropriate amount of money on the counter with a note, and raced out the store. Hadrian sighed in relief as he leaned against the crowded end of the store was bad enough, but he could not stand yelling. Professor Snape came out soon after holding a few books of his own.

"Can you continue shopping Mr. Potter? Do you need to return to the Leaky Cauldron?" Hadrian looked up and shook his head. The man was trying to be kind, but honestly he just wanted to get this over with so he can read his books and sleep.

"Apothecary next, right sir?" Hadrian said and picked up the pile books next to him. The man nodded, but then looked at Hadrian quizzically.

"Mr. Potter didn't you have glasses when we started our shopping trip?" Hadrian mumbled something and pulled out the mangled pair of glasses, showing them to the professor. The man sighed and waved his black wand over the glasses. The pieces of glass and metal flew from Hadrian's pocket and reformed perfectly into his old pair of glasses. Hadrian returned the glasses to the bridge of his nose and gasped at the perfect clarity of everything. He count the individual leaves of the tree to his left, and see the crevices of its' bark. Did normal people see like this all of the time?

"Thank you sir!" Hadrian said blinking. The man tried to grab his books.

"Here give those to me" the professor said motioning.

"What? No sir I am perfectly able to carry my own books. Sir." Hadrian said affronted.

"Foolish boy, I was going to shrink them for you." The man stated, amused.

"Oh. Thank you Sir" Hadrian replied handing over his large stack of books, which the professor shrunk with a tap of his narrow black wand, and handed them back. Hadrian placed them in one of the many inside pockets of his robe and followed the professor, who had already started walking.

'_God he sure walks fast' _Hadrian thought, '_and the billowing, is there a charm that does it, or is it the way he walks...'_ Hadrian copied the mans graceful walk; Head held high, hands tucked in high pant pockets, with long strides. His cloak picked up immediately and fanned out behind him like a black wave. He smirked in the his best imitation of the professor, picked up the pace.

Hadrian followed Professor Snape to the opposite end of the row, to a dark store on the edge of what the street sign said was called Knockturn Alley. They both entered the shop and the professor stopped for a second and drew a long breath of the fragrant air. The most noticeable thing about the store was the many jars of animal bits and different and multicolored plants. Hadrian walked up to what he thought was a spice set and instantly recognized basil, honeysuckle, and sassafras leaves. There were also quite a few things he didn't recognize; something called shrivel figs and a bottle of devil's snare powder.

"I would suggest getting the apprentice set, with extras of all of the basic ingredients. Get the best scales and cauldrons, it is worth the hefty prices if your cauldron is not melted by the end of your first lesson."

Hadrian jumped and dropped the bottle of powder, he fumbled it twice before Professor Snape grabbed it out of the air and set it back on the shelf. "Sorry Professor," Hadrian mumbled. Hadrian picked the recommended supplies and went to pay, leaving a slightly miffed professor behind.

[][][]

Severus was a bit concerned for the boy, he jumped at every sound. his demeanor had improved after meeting Draco, almost as if he was imitating the young blonde's behavior. Now that he thought of it, the way the boy's robes had bellowed as he walked was slightly reminiscent of himself. He wondered why the boy was copying those around him. He had already established in his mind that the-boy-who-lived had come from a less than desired life; there were simply too many signs of abuse to ignore. Why the hell had Albus placed the boy with Dursley's? Anyone, even him, would have been a better guardian than those muggles. He would speak to the Headmaster about this as soon as he returned to the school. However, in the mean time, he would try to get the boy to open up to him. He had had more than his share of experience with abuse. Funny how different your view could change about a person when they had possibly experienced your own personal sorrows; not that he would wish abuse on anyone, especially a child. Sympathizing with potter spawn, what was the world coming to?

He followed the boy to counter, and asked for some rare ingredients he needed for the werewolf's wolfsbane potion.

"Sir, what are those ingredients for?" the boy asked looking at the wrapped package of aconite, better known as wolfsbane.

"Not that it is any of your business, they are for a potion that your future Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, asked me to make."

"You can make potions sir? is that what you teach at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I am the resident potions master," Severus made sure his eyes held a 'don't you forget it' look to them, and the boy averted his eyes.

"Well let finish up this shopping, Come" he said, and turning gracefully he left the shop. Leaving the boy in his wake.

[][][]

Professor Snape had led him around the alley to a few more stores for school supplies before returning to Madame Malkin's for his new robes. The professor had shrunk everything and put it in Hadrian's room. After finishing, he led Hadrian deep into Knockturn alley to find a person to remove his bindings. The meeting had been uneventful, if a bit painful and creepy, and had resulted in Hadrian circumventing magical disaster. Professor Snape and Hadrian had returned to the Leaky Cauldron and bid each other goodbye, the professor flooed out, telling Hadrian he would see him at Hogwarts in a week.

A few days later Hadrian lay on his small bed, reading the end of the banking book. He had read all of the smaller books already, the only thing left being the larger potions book. Taking it off the top of his pile of books he flipped to the introduction and started to read, but he kept stopping to think of how the last couple of days had been. It had been peaceful, he hadn't had a beating in a week. No one bothered him. The only thought plaguing his mind currently was all the things he had found out days prior. Famous, him. God what a laugh. He flipped to the next page of his book. He turned over onto his stomach, then his side, and finally ended up upside down with his feet against the wall and his hair falling off the end of the bed. The clock ticked in the corner where he had set it covered with one of his old ratty shirts. Hadrian sighed, and put the potion book page down on the floor. Standing up he walked into the bathroom and took a long hot shower. He avoided the mirror as he brushed his teeth and washed his face. He did not need to see the scars today. Slipping on an undershirt and a pair of black jeans he had bought on a trip to non-magical London, Hadrian walked into the room and put on his robe. Carrying the satchel he had bought yesterday, he walked down the stairs to the bar and out into the alley.

Hadrian immediately adopted his "Snape" walk and set off for Gringotts. opening the large glass doors and sliding into the bank Hadrian made his way to the large podium in the center of the hall.

"Excuse me, is Braztok Blackstone available?" he asked the goblin overseer, showing him the black ring.

"Wait just a moment sir." The overseer sneered and jumped off the high seat of the podium. The goblin walked to the back of the hall and through a small ornately carved black door.

A moment later the overseer came back through the door leading Braztok behind him. Hadrian waved at the small diminutive goblin, who grinned back. "Nice to see you again Hadrian." Braztok said and motioned for Hadrian to follow him into a room, much like the one they had met in.

They sat down and Braztok produced a file of papers. "First," Braztok said opening the file, "I would like to discuss your lordships with you." He looked at Hadrian for the go-a-head. Hadrian nodded. "I would recommend you take the Ravenclaw lordship at least, because there is no age requirement; it depends on whether the heir is of learning age. Since you are starting school, I see no complications from that factor. Normally you would only be able to assume an heirship, but as there has been no Lord Ravenclaw for the past century and you are the only heir apparent, you can take the lordship," he paused to look over the list again, "You should also take the Black family. You should be able to because it was left to you with no specified inheriting age. Well, that and the only remaining members of the family have been cast off the family tree, or incarcerated." Braztok smiled in a way that showed all of his small needle teeth. "We can probably get those two done today." Hadrian nodded again.

"But even if Mr. Black was in prison, wouldn't that mean that the will would be frozen?" Hadrian asked.

"That would be the case if he was still 'alive'. He is in the lowest levels of Azkaban, the wizard prison, in a place that no human has treaded since the Goblins and the Wintercourt Fae finished the structure. Any person sentenced there for life is dead in the eye of wizarding law. Meaning that his will was not frozen, just unread. I have it here." The goblin pulled out a roll of parchment and smoothed it over the stone of the table. "See here? That is your name, he left the seat of Lord Black to his Godson: you."

"Am I mentioned anywhere else?"

"He left you a sum of gold from his personal vault not connected to the Black family, but it has already been transferred into your trust fund. He said to use it to have some fun at school."

"Nice."

"Now, if you accept the lordships you will be responsible for the people in those families and their financing. I can do the finance part while you are still in school, and since neither of these families have any members left, you should be mostly free to do what you will. You probably have the easiest lordships to claim in all of Europe," Braztok snickered, "You are quite lucky."

"One less thing to worry about right?" Hadrian said, smiling at his friend.

"One can always hope that things will go as smoothly." Braztok replied.

"What about my parent's vaults?" Hadrian asked, "It says that I am also entitled to these, correct?"

"Unfortunately you would need the permission of your magical guardian to petition for those lordships before your first magical majority; thirteen for you. Also consider your guardian happens to be the headmaster of your school and you have not met yet. I would strongly advise against contacting him for the reason of assuming more power before you have had time to establish an impression about the man. For all you know, If you bring your lordships up, he could try and strip you of the titles before you reach your pre-determined majority. Because you are his charge, you are subject to his ruling until you find another suitable guardian or reach seventeen." the goblin patiently explained.

"I see your point; I don't know him. If he is my guardian, there is the question of why he did not raise me himself…" Hadrian's mind turned to more sinister thoughts as the idea that this Albus Dumbledore might have purposely left him at the Dursley's. This man might have even known about the collar. "Well I don't know anything for sure yet. As you said, we will have to wait and see. In the mean time, how do I assume my lordships?"

Braztok pulled two small decorated boxes out of nowhere and placed them in front of Hadrian. Opening one, Hadrian saw a dark blue stone set into a silver ring carved with an ornate capital "R". He opened the second to find a bone ring fitted with a faceted black gem. "Simply offer the rings your blood and proclaim yourself as the new head of the family." Braztok said handing Hadrian a familiar looking knife.

Taking the Ravenclaw ring, Hadrian cut the tip of his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the blue stone. The ring shone gently and braztok motioned for him to put on the ring. Hadrian did so, and raising his hand proclaimed himself as the new lord of Ravenclaw. Nothing happened.

"Formal name Hadrian"

Hadrian blushed and repeated the claim using his full formal name. This time the ring glowed bright iridescent blue and shrunk to fit his small finger. He repeated the same procedure with the bone ring, which glowed a shadowy grey.

"Congratulations Lord Raven-Black on claiming part of your inheritance." the small goblin said as he bowed his head.

Afterwards, Braztok took Hadrian down to the Ravenclaw and Black vaults. Inside Hadrian found a wonderful trunk that he could use for school, as well as two scabbard for Starfire's larger and smaller forms. The trunk was black with silver fittings and scroll work and had many compartments that were much larger on the inside. It was also encoded with a password, which Hadrian changed to "Skittles"; if an American muggle candy was not a safe password for a British wizard, Hadrian didn't know what was.

Braztok had talked to Hadrian briefly about investments and property, but decided to postpone the thorough discussion until a later date because of the time. Promising to buy a means of communication for when he was at school, Hadrian thanked his account manager and left. After returning to ask for directions to a pet shop from a bemused Braztok, Hadrian hurried to buy some type of bird so he could send requests and questions to the bank. Apparently they did not have computers, phones, or even telegraph.

Hadrian walked into the first store selling animals that he saw observing the owls and other birds that it provided. Unimpressed, Hadrian went to the next store and repeated the process. He did this with a number of stores, but he did not find an owl or any other animal that caught his attention. Every owl seemed uninterested in him, and many went as far as to turn away from the new lord. Annoyed, Hadrian almost walked past the small store sandwiched between two tall vacant stores.

The door chimed as he walked in, alerting the small old man sitting in a drunken stupor at the counter to Hadrian's arrival. The man welcomed him to his "rare" and "exotic" animal store with a burp, slurring the encouragement to buy something before he passed out. The whole store, like many others Hadrian had seen today, was in disarray. Animal cages were stacked haphazardly to the ceiling and were filled with glassy-eyed dirty animals. Many of them were injured and and some were chained and muzzled improperly. There were even some confined in ways that would make most people sick. For Hadrian it was like visiting his cupboard in Uncle's house. The smell of waste and blood coated Hadrian's tongue, and he turned to leave until a weak voice stopped him.

"Wizzzzard… pleassse."

Hadrian stopped and turned. The voice definitely had not come from the drunk, and there was no one else in the shop…

"Help… pleassse… in the… back…"

Hadrian almost ran to the back of the store to an enclosure set apart from the rest of the cages. He gagged at the sickly reek of death it gave off but pushed on and wiped off the dust on the glass. His eyes widened at the site inside of the terrarium; a snake was pinned down by many iron rods and lengths of chain. The snake seemed to be at least five feet long, but was coiled so tightly in the small enclosure that is was difficult to tell. Its jaws were secured with lengths of twine that were so tight that they buried themselves into the serpent's muzzle. The snake scales were rubbed of in many places, revealing infected wounds that oozed green pus. The voice came again faintly from inside the glass.

"I will do… _anythhhhhing_… Pleasse ssave me…" the snakes mouth barely moved, but its plea forced the already blood soaked twine further into its snout, causing dark blood to run sluggishly down its jaw. The reptile tried to raise its head to look at Hadrian, but its strength gave out and its head thumped back onto the dirty stone of the enclosure. Hadrian tugged desperately at the lock of the glass cage, but is remained closed. The snake tried to hiss again but all that came out of its mouth was a gurgle. It was dying. Hadrian tugged even more frantically to no avail.

He felt tears well up and flow down his face in great streams. He couldn't let this snake die in there; in a cage. He knew the feeling of this confinement, it was all he had ever known until a week ago. It was only one snake, only an animal. But, Hadrian was only one boy and no one had come to save him. He would not let this snake die. None of the animals were going to sit here and waste away with this drunk of a man. It was the man's choice to ruin his life, he didn't need to drag the animals down with him. He wouldn't let him.

Hadrian unsheathed Starfire, the wand expanding to its full length. He poured his feelings of desperation and unfelt despair that he had kept hidden and locked away for so long into this sword, willing it to do something, anything. In a sound like a gunblast, the sword's crystal body exploded into bright unwavering yellow-green light. All the cages on the store popped open and the animals, healed and glowing, fled out the open door. The Snake's cage was demolished; his bindings disintegrated. The man at the counter woke and screamed at Hadrian until the light consumed him, leaving him cleaned and asleep. Hadrian picked up the healed and slumbering snake before running out the door.

[][][]

The snake had not woken until the next day, and Hadrian had spent the time writing a letter requesting permission to bring his companion to Hogwarts to the deputy Headmistress. He had also purchased a snowy owl for mail, naming it Hedwig. He had sent her with the letter immediately, and had received the okay the next morning. He spent the rest of the time reading and taking care of the snake.

Starfire had healed most of the wounds on the snake's body, but it could not heal the history of dehydration and malnutrition or the scars and scales. So on returning from rescuing the snake, Hadrian rushed it the bookstore and bought every book on snakes and veterinary practices. When the snake eventually recovered enough to talk, he told Hadrian of how he was captured from the wild ten years ago. He had resisted his capture and had received many beatings for it. The snake had been passed on to many different owners due to its behavior, ending up in the pet store Hadrian saved him from.

As the snake recovered, Hadrian observed it in reality. The snake was dark blue-black with silver markings and almost six and a half feet long. His eyes were pale gold with an inner ring of green. He had told Hadrian that he was a descendant of Mehen, the Egyptian god of snakes known for guarding Ra in his path through the underworld. Hadrian had asked how the snake knew he was a descendant of Mehen. The snake replied by slithering off the table in his hotel room, opening a large pair of black and silver feathered wings, and flying around the room. Hadrian had fallen out of his chair. The snake had kept his wings visible after that and chuckled at his savior's clumsiness.

After Hadrian had asked what the snake wanted to do about their current situation. The snake thought it over before saying that he would like to stay with Hadrian. Hadrian had agreed, promising that he would not let anyone ever mistreat the serpent again.

"Thhank you wizzzard." the snake said bowing his large head, "I am forever in your debt."

"Your welcome, and your debt has already been paid by coming with me to school. if there is anything you need just ask." Hadrian replied bowing his head in return. The snake went quiet for a while, seeming to think about Hadrian's offer.

"Then... may I havve a name?"

"You dont have one?" Hadrian asked.

"I had no need for one in the wild, and I wasss never withh a massster long enough to reccive one…"

"Drake?" Hadrian suggested.

"I do not feel that it is appropriate, it isss too ssstif and overbearing."

"How about… Midnight?" Hadrian said thinking of the snake's dark iridescent scales.

"I would like to feel that I am above sssuch a generic pet name Massster." The snake said contemptuously.

"I am not 'master' I am just Hadrian."

"Acknowledged Hadrian. Anymore ideasss?"

"Ryuu" Hadrian said finally.

"Ryuu… I like it. Short, uncommon, smooth. Is there meaning to the name?" Ryuu asked.

"It means 'dragon' in Japanese. It describes you, a small word for a little dragon." Hadrian said quietly remembering the manga he had had at Uncle's before coming here.

"It isss a good name."

They spent the rest of the day in companionable silence, Hadrian reading and Ryuu soaking up the remaining afternoon sun on the windowsill.

The next few days passed in a similar fashion, the only break in routine being the trips into muggle-London to buy a different pair of glasses, infrequent forays to the bookstore for new reading material, or school supplies and the scheduled meetings with Braztok about his estates and wealth. Ryuu became accustomed to Hadrian's mannerisms and began to build up his wing muscles, or flying around their room and 'accidentally' crashing into Hadrian's head. All too soon the day to leave for Hogwarts came, and Hadrian busied himself organizing his trunk. He sent Hedwig ahead to Hogwarts, and made sure Ryuu was comfortable in his position of half-in half-out of Hadrian's school robes. Hadrian called a taxi to take them to King's Cross station telling the driver that he was going to an Anime convention, which did little to help the driver's peace of mind. Hadrian arrived a couple of minutes before he was due at platform nine and three quarters, and was pleased to see Draco, his father, and a beautiful woman he assumed to be Draco's mother, walking deftly towards a wall separating platforms nine and ten.

"Good morning Lord and Lady Malfoy. Hello Draco." He greeted the aristocratic family adopting his 'pureblood heir' persona with a slight bow, as he was now a lord in his own right. He thanked Braztok for pushing him to read an etiquette book so that he did not embarrass himself again.

"Hello Hadrian. Congratulations on becoming Lord Raven-Black," The tall blond man said with a bow of his own, "This is my wife, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black, and of course you know Draco."

"Nice to make your acquaintance Lady Malfoy, I am Hadrian James Potter; Lord Raven-Black." Hadrian said and kneeled kissing Narcissa Malfoy's fingers, looking to all the world a young pureblood lord.

He had learned the difference between pure-blood and half-blood, half-blood and muggle-borns, and of course muggle-borns and muggles, at the same time he had learned etiquette with Braztok. He knew that with a family like the Malfoys, he should act like a pure-blood to draw any other pure-bloods away from the fact that he had a muggle-born mother as it would make talking with them difficult. He also knew that with half-bloods and muggle-borns acting like a young lord would only cast him in an unflattering, if not evil, light. For Hadrian blood purity was not the most important thing, but it was not to be completely ignored. It was all about knowing to express which persona and when.

He bid farewell to Lord and Lady Malfoy and followed Draco through the wall to the Hogwarts platform.

After stowing their trunks away, Hadrian and Draco boarded the train and looked for an empty compartment. Draco led him to the back of the train and into a silver and green compartment obviously meant for those of the Slytherin house. They made small talk most of the train ride only interrupted by Ryuu waking from his nap and scaring Draco, and a certain appearance by a red-haired boy. Said boy burst into their compartment with a young frizzy-haired brunette claiming they were looking for a place to sit. The girl was a muggle-born judging from her clothes, and the boy was none other than the jerk from the bookstore. Draco looked at Hadrian nodding his head slightly in the direction of the two new kids. Hadrian shook his head.

"No thank you" they said together, Draco outwardly glaring at the newcomers.

"There is no way that there is not an empty compartment in this whole train," Hadrian said, crossing his arms, "The train grows to fit whatever sized it needs, it is a _magic_ train." For added effect Ryuu hissed at them, causing them to jump back outside of the compartment.

"But your Harry Potter!" the girl said, "you're supposed to sit with us! Why are you sitting with him? He is going to be a Slytherin, you are a Gryffindor! You-" Hadrian inwardly sighed, the girl had just dashed whatever kinds of hopes she had of becoming Hadrian's friend. If she really wanted to know him, she should get to know _him_, and not "Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Live". Even Draco, a person who spouted as much preadjusted nonsense as the next pure-blood, had had the common decency to get to know Hadrian first before he played all of the "you're a savior" card.

"Actually My name is Hadrian James Potter Raven-Black," Hadrian said hoping that the use of his formal name would anger the girl into silence, "And as to Mr. Malfoy here, He hasn't been sorted yet. Neither have you. Go find another compartment, please." and with that Hadrian shut the door.

[][][]

When Hadrian and Draco finally got to the castle after braving the 'disastrous duo' as Hadrian had christened the brunette and ginger, a lost toad, and a wet boat ride, they were tired to say the least. But, when Professor McGonagall left them in the entrance hall Hadrian just felt nervous. What house _would_ he be best in? He felt he had qualities from all of them. Hopefully he could be put into one where he would belong, as he knew that his dream of fading into the background was in fact just a dream. He knew he was viewed as a celebrity; no rest was to be found here. His thoughts were broken by an argument between the disastrous duo and Draco.

"He needs to be in Gryffindor!" yelled the red-head, "Away from evil slimy snakes like you!"

"He should go into Slytherin, it fits him better!" argued Draco.

"I go where I go, and it doesn't matter that much." Hadrian said separating the two fighting tweens. "And as for getting away from snakes… you're a bit late on that remember?" Hadrian continued as Ryuu slithered half-way off Hadrian's shoulder to flick his tongue in the ginger's face for emphasis.

"But, But... Bu-tt..." stuttered the brunette. Draco cut off her rambling by extending a hand to Hadrian.

"I would like to make a declaration of friendship Hadrian. Where ever you go, I will be your friend in light of even the more Gryffindor-ish situations," The boy said formally, "You're not just the Boy-Who-Lived, sometimes you need more than a fanclub." he continued softly.

Hadrian gazed at the hand. There was many aspects that would be worth giving up the friendship of many half-bloods and muggle-borns, but he was not sure if he wanted to give up being friends with everybody. But then again, even if he refused politely, he would send a bad impression to everyone in the room, even if they were not knowledgeable in social politics they would think he was more snobbish than Draco.

Hadrian took Draco's hand and shook it firmly. "I accept," he said sealing the semi-formal contract, "And of course I would do the same for you Draco."

Draco nodded at the datumstruct duo and smiled at Hadrian. They turned back to the front as Professor McGonagall returned and lead them into the great hall.

Both Hadrian and Draco gazed at the ceiling of the hall in awe. "I want that for my room," Draco whispered, and Hadrian nodded in agreement.

"Please listen for your name, and when it is called step forward and sit on the stool. The hat will sort you." The Deputy Headmistress said in a commanding voice. After the named hat sang a weird song describing the house traits, scaring Hadrian almost out of his socks, and then the professor began to call out names. Draco was called near the middle, and smirked as he was sorted into Slytherin.

"Harry Potter," Professor McGonagall called.

"Its actually Hadrian, professor." He said quietly as he sat down and put on the ugly brown hat.

'_Ah, Mr. Potter Raven-Black. I have awaited your arrival. Do you have any preferences?'_

'_I have a choice?'_ Hadrian asked, what he assumed to be the hat. He knew what to expect, he had read "Hogwarts a History".

'_Normally, no. But you are the heir of a founder so you may choose what house you wish, or if you would prefer to rule as a lord, or even perform an apprenticeship.'_

'_Can you sort me as you would regularly for this year so I can get a feel for the school and then-'_

'_Choose a more specified option later? Sure I can do that young lord.'_

'_Thanks'_

'_But I must warn you… The Headmaster is trying to force me to place you in Gryffindor, I am guessing that is now not an option?'_

'_Thank you for telling me. And yes no Gryffindor. Do you know why the Headmaster planned to do this?'_

'_No idea, but I'll find out what I can. My allegiance is to my creators; Lord Slytherin and Lady Ravenclaw, not to the dear Headmaster. You just happen to be a convergence of those two lines, I am more loyal to you than I have ever been to a single person. Do not worry I will help you with what can be said of this half-life I am made to live. If you ever need anything ask for me, I'll find a way to answer you. Now for the sorting. No Hufflepuff for sure… Good brain, more than worthy of Ravenclaw, but you need to prove yourself to the world. I understand that drive… better than you know. Better be…_

"SLYTHERIN"

Hadrian walked off the dais to the tables below, not noticing the angry and twisted face of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.


End file.
